SHCN Family Partnership Support for
Families of Children and Youth who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
SHCN Family Partnership employs Family Partners, who are parents of individuals with special health care needs, including parents of children and youth who are deaf and hard of hearing. Megan Shadrick and Dori Lennemann are the SHCN Family Partners for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf/Hard of Hearing Plus.
What can the SHCN Family Partnership provide?
-
Parent-to-Parent Support: Megan and Dori share their lived experience and use a family-centered approach to support and connect with families.
-
Resource Connection: Megan and Dori help families meet others with similar experiences and connect them with organizations that support the needs of their child or youth.
-
Virtual Parent Chat: Connect with other families online the first Wednesday of each month from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Click Here To Join
-
Weekly Newsletter: Receive information about events (in-person or online), which offer learning opportunities for families. You can email Megan or Dori to sign up.
-
2026 SHCN Family Partnership Parent and Caregiver Retreat: Plan to attend this year’s Retreat to meet in-person with other families and know you are not alone on your journey. Save the Date August 14 - 15, 2026. Registration is required. Read about the 2025 Retreat from an attendee below.
Melissa Roach, parent and 2025 Retreat attendee, shares how she connected with the SHCN Family Partners and the impact they had on her experience. “Walking into the Family Partnership Retreat for the first time as a 100% hearing parent felt like stepping into a completely new world—the deaf and hard of hearing world I was learning to navigate because of my unilateral deaf daughter. What I found there was far more than information; I found resources, understanding, and incredible women like Dori and Megan, who have truly been there to answer questions and generously share their experiences. There is a special sense of companionship that comes from being surrounded by people who genuinely understand what you have gone through and are going through because they have lived it too. Through the Family Partnership Retreats, I have gained so much knowledge and am deeply grateful for the compassion, time, and support of everyone who makes this community so meaningful.”
For more information, please visit the Family Partnership webpage. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your Family Partner. Click the thumbnail to select your county and locate contact information. |
|
 |
This project is/was funded in part by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Title V Maternal Child Health Services Block Grant and is/was supported by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant #B04MC52935, Maternal and Child Health Services for $12,742,189, of which $0 is from nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
|
